9th Title for Ingham: State Championships Pairs
By Kelsey Cottrell
Sean Ingham and Aron Sherriff wanted to go one better than their runner-up performance from last year and it seemed like nothing or no one would stand in their way as they came flying out of the blocks in this afternoon’s final at Capalaba Sports Club.
The boys from the bush, West Toowoomba’s Steven McNamee and Jake Rynne ran into a couple of red-hot Gold Coasters on a mission to win another state title, but the first as a pairing.
Everything McNamee and Rynne did, Sherriff and Ingham answered back two-fold, leading 11-0 and sending the internet into a meltdown with viewers of the Bowls Queensland live streaming in awe of their performance.
“Come on Aron, you’re making me dizzy”.
“These guys are playing at the level that I can only play in my dreams”.
“Aron, the greatest of all time”.
In the present era Sean Baker is the man to chase down with 14 state titles to his name, and that is not taking into account any Champion of Champion titles he has also won.
Sean Ingham is hot on his heels claiming his ninth title today; it is just a singles title that illudes him.
Club Helensvale’s Aron Sherriff is the first player of the 2021 championships to win a double having teamed up with Barrie Lester and Nick Cahill in the triples earlier this week.
In Kelsey Cottrell’s first QLD State Championships in over a decade she teamed up with Cassandra Millerick to claim gold in the women’s open pairs.
Their opponents, Maree Gibbs and Tracy Foster, have been stalwarts in Queensland bowls for several years and their experience was showing as they took it right up to the Broadbeach pairing.
The scores were neck and neck until a telling blow was delivered on the 18th end; a score of six for Millerick and Cottrell, followed up by three on the 19th end shut the door on what was a brilliant final.
A 7th State Title for Cassandra Millerick in her last appearance at a QLD State Championships for a little while due to her pending move to Victoria at the conclusion of the Australian Open.
“I’m excited about the move to Moama but I’m also sad to not be playing next year and leaving my friends,” Millerick said.
“Our final today was tough, we just needed to break away from them which we finally managed to do; it was great to have the opportunity to play with Kelsey and see the shots that she plays, I’m really happy to have seen a glimpse of what it could be like to play for Australia in the future.”
Millerick’s performance today in the semi-final was near perfect and would send out warning signals to the rest of the women’s singles field that she is a major contender as the last event of the championships commences tomorrow.
Thank-you to Life Without Barriers for your sponsorship of the State Pairs Championships.
Ladies Open Pairs Final-
Cassandra Millerick (Broadbeach) & Kelsey Cottrell (Broadbeach) def Maree Gibbs (Millmerran) & Tracy Foster (Drayton) 23-14
Men’s Open Pairs Final-
Sean Ingham (Broadbeach) & Aron Sherriff (Club Helensvale) def Steve McNamee (West Toowoomba) & Jake Rynne (West Toowoomba) 21-12
To watch the live streaming of today’s matches, visit the Bowls QLD Facebook page.
Runners-up men Steve MacNamee & Jake Rynne Runners-up women Maree Gibbs & Tracy Foster